Trade thoughts, WHL rankings

If you’re a regular reader of this blog, you saw it coming a mile away (no thanks necessary) when the Regina Pats sent goalie Jeff Bosch to the Moose Jaw Warriors for forward Neal Prokop on Monday. It’s also interesting to note that this deal has already been scrutinized more than any of GM Brent Parker’s trades in recent memory.Putting aside the rivalry issue for a moment (we’ll deal with that in Wednesday’s Leader-Post), my first reaction to the trade was simply this: The Pats didn’t get enough for Bosch, nor did they get what they really need (a top-four defenceman). However, that statement needs to be placed in the proper perspective. It’s not a slight against Prokop. Not at all. It’s more a testament to Bosch’s potential and the fact that you can’t put a price on quality goaltending — and quality people. That said, anyone who expected a straight-up deal of Bosch for Joel Broda or Jason Bast was living in a dream world. Would the Pats have liked to work out a larger package with Moose Jaw? Of course, but not under the terms of the current asking price, which is said to be astronomical. Fair enough. The Pats kicked the tires and moved on.The fact is, with the market for goalies the way it is this season, Prokop for Bosch was probably about as good as it was going to get for the Pats. Given the choice of taking Prokop or a draft pick, which is what other teams were offering, I’d take Prokop, hands down. Parker clearly wanted to turn one of his goalies into a top-four defenceman, but it became apparent that wasn’t going to happen. The consolation prize was Prokop, who hasn’t yet lived up to his bantam draft billing (fifth overall in 2005). It has been suggested by some observers that the Warriors didn’t use Prokop in a manner (third-line centre) that was conducive to him reaching his full potential. That may or may not be the case. We’ll soon see. In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me to see him end up on the left side of Regina’s No. 1 line with Jordan Weal and Jordan Eberle at some point. That sounds like a pretty good way to find out what the kid’s made of.As is the case with all trades — but this one especially — it’s impossible to get an accurate read on which side got the best of the deal. Bosch is extremely talented, but he hasn’t yet proven himself to be a legitimate No. 1 goalie. Will it happen in Moose Jaw? That remains to be seen. He had an opportunity — albeit a brief one — to take the job and run with it early this season in Regina, but he struggled, allowing Linden Rowat to step back into the picture and re-stake his claim to the starting job.If Bosch lives up to his potential, it’ll be a great trade for the goaltending-starved Warriors. However, the same could be said for the Pats, considering the fact that Prokop appears to have significant upside as well. In that sense, it’s a deal which carries substantial risk for both sides. Since Bosch and Prokop are both 18 and could potentially be in the league for another two full seasons, each one will have ample opportunity to come back and bite his old team.Due to the premium placed on quality goaltending, the immediate tendency is to say Moose Jaw got the better of this deal, but realistically we’ll have to wait and see. Due to Regina’s depth in net — and the fact that Rowat has clearly established himself as the right guy for the job at the moment — the Pats aren’t any worse off by trading Bosch. In fact, they rid themselves of a distraction and made their team better in the process. The only question is how much better Prokop will make them in the long run. As such, any conclusions made on the trade at this time are premature.In the meantime, kudos to Brent Parker and Chad Lang for rolling the dice and dealing with their top rival. Perhaps it’ll turn into a good trade for both clubs, which is really supposed to be the whole idea, isn’t it?— — — After a rare losing skid and their worst showing in the Western Major Junior Hockey Writers Association poll in more than five years, the Medicine Hat Tigers got back on the tracks this past week. The result of a 2-1 record on an East Division road swing is the biggest jump in this week’s poll, up three spots to No. 11. Medicine Hat (10-7-2-2) continued its revival with a 4-1 home win over Lethbridge on Monday, a team they leapfrogged in the poll standings as well as the Central Division standings. The Hurricanes (9-9-0-1) dropped two spots to No. 13.Meanwhile, Vancouver continued its incredible run to start the season, winning twice more for a 14-0-0-3 record and a fifth straight week atop the WMJHWA poll with all nine first-place votes. The week’s biggest fall was taken by the Swift Current Broncos, who went 1-2 against divisional rivals and fell three spots to No. 7.The WMJHWA poll, with last week’s rank, first-place votes in parenthesis and total points:1. (1) Vancouver Giants (9), 198 points2. (2) Calgary Hitmen, 1893. (3) Spokane Chiefs, 1764. (T6) Tri-City Americans, 1755. (5) Saskatoon Blades, 1616. (8) Regina Pats, 1517. (4) Swift Current Broncos, 1468. (T6) Kelowna Rockets, 1359. (9) Brandon Wheat Kings, 12310. (10) Kootenay Ice, 104T11. (13) Everett Silvertips, 102T11. (14) Medicine Hat Tigers, 10213. (11) Lethbridge Hurricanes, 10114. (12) Prince Albert Raiders, 8215. (15) Kamloops Blazers, 7816. (17) Edmonton Oil Kings, 5817. (19) Seattle Thunderbirds, 5718. (16) Prince George Cougars, 4219. (18) Red Deer Rebels, 3920. (20) Moose Jaw Warriors, 2721. (21) Chilliwack Bruins, 1922. (22) Portland Winter Hawks, 12

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